Attachments
I. Introduction
1. The present report covers the period from 30 June to 31 December 2023 and contains an overview of developments and trends in West Africa and the Sahel and the activities of the United Nations Office for West Africa and the Sahel (UNOWAS).
It also highlights progress made in the implementation of the United Nations integrated strategy for the Sahel and includes an update on the situation in the Lake Chad basin, pursuant to Security Council resolution 2349 (2017).
II. Developments and trends in West Africa and the Sahel
2. The period under review was marked by a fast-evolving regional context with heightened political tensions and instability, as illustrated by the unconstitutional change of government in the Niger, the attempted coup d’état in Sierra Leone and an unstable security situation in the central Sahel. Delays were reported in the implementation of the respective transition agreements in Burkina Faso, Guinea and Mali, as well as limited dialogue between the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the transitional authorities in those countries. In addition, civic and democratic space in all three countries has reportedly become increasingly restricted. Developments in the Niger following the military takeover on 26 July have, among other things, further affected relations with the regional bloc, as Burkina Faso, Mali and the Niger strengthened their solidarity and cooperation in defiance of ECOWAS. Nonetheless, some countries continued efforts to consolidate democracy. Côte d’Ivoire held subnational and senatorial elections in September, Liberia held general elections in October and Nigeria held off-cycle gubernatorial elections in November. In Sierra Leone, an internationally mediated post-electoral dialogue, spearheaded by the African Union, the Commonwealth Secretariat and ECOWAS, secured the Agreement for National Unity, which resolved the political impasse that had ensued following the disputed outcome of the country’s general elections held on 24 June.
3. On the security front, the progress witnessed in the Lake Chad basin as a result of the collective efforts of regional actors with support from the United Nations system and other partners, has been undermined by recent political developments in the Niger and the subsequent suspension of its participation in the Multinational Joint Task Force. Furthermore, the security situation in the central Sahel region has persistently deteriorated. In Mali, an upsurge of clashes between signatory armed groups and the Malian Armed Forces has progressively unravelled the 2015 Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation, especially in the context of the withdrawal of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA), which was concluded on 31 December. The establishment of a new military alliance between Burkina Faso, Mali and the Niger and the announcement of the departure of Burkina Faso and the Niger from all Group of Five for the Sahel mechanisms, followed by the decision of Chad and Mauritania to dissolve the Group, have added new layers of complexity as international and regional responses are being reconfigured. Meanwhile, the coastal countries in the Gulf of Guinea have continued to enhance civilian-military cooperation and efforts to address the socioeconomic needs of concerned communities towards strengthening community resilience in the face of the spillover of terrorism, violent extremism and transnational organized crime.
4. The overall humanitarian context, especially in the Sahel region, remains extremely worrying, with more than 26 million people in need of life -saving assistance. Furthermore, human rights actors continued to decry the arrest, detention and intimidation of protesters and human rights activists amid shrinking civic space in several countries.